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“Hello, I’m Graham…”

“You must be the new guy, I was told you were starting this morning. They asked me to sort you out. I’m Joe, I’m one of the security guards. Here’s your office key, and there’s a staff meeting tomorrow at 10am. If I was you, I would be on time, ‘the boss’ hates stragglers.” It sounds like a scene from a play, but it’s not! It really happened… to me! Article by Graham White – Interim HR Director.
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“You must be the new guy, I was told you were starting this morning. They asked me to sort you out. I’m Joe, I’m one of the security guards. Here’s your office key, and there’s a staff meeting tomorrow at 10am. If I was you, I would be on time, ‘the boss’ hates stragglers.” It sounds like a scene from a play, but it’s not! It really happened… to me!

Article by Graham White – Interim HR Director.

From feelings as different as a drowning man in a pool full of strangers intent on watching my demise, to the expectant faces of a field full of lost sheep desperately seeking a shepherd, I have taken the tentative steps into a new employer thirteen times in my forty five year career. From figuring out what to wear to remembering where my office is, all while trying to learn the ropes and make a good first impression on my new boss and co-workers has usually ensured my first day was absolutely terrifying. Including my first summer job, I have had a baker’s dozen of first days and first impressions. I would have to say that in assessing these in terms of their impact on me just over half (seven) impressed me with their initial engagement techniques and of the remaining six, all-bar two now have very effective initial engagement processes that we developed during my time with them. Of the thirteen, I decided within that first day that I would not stay longer than a year in two of them and my first impression was proved right each time.

Experiencing the vast range of induction and assimilation processes imposed upon me as a new employee I have been abandoned and embraced with equal measure. I have walked on red carpets of welcome whilst also treading in the red blood stains of my predecessors. I have received public accolades in equal measure to steely silences. The extent of variation is alarming and if it has happened to me as an HRD imagine how it must feel for the many thousands of rank and file new hires. Thankfully in recent years induction and assimilation have been encapsulated into a new HR Buzzword called “onboarding”. Don’t get me wrong, I am an ardent hater of some of the more evocative and unnecessary HR creations such as “Rightsourcing”, “Millennials” and “Employer Value Proposition. It’s also heartening to know that my spellchecker still refuses to recognise these words as part of the English language. However the buzzword “onboarding” when applied correctly, completely encapsulates the purpose and intention it defines. Where real “onboarding” exists, new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviours needed to immediately become effective company members and organisational insiders, and it all happens in an instant. Whilst others may have you believe it is all about the first ninety days I have to tell you from my experience it’s all about the first ninety minutes.

There are two genuine points of thirst in the life of every new employee. The first happens at the point when they receive the initial offer of employment and the second happens when their foot touches the welcome mat of their place of work for the very first time. Thirsty for knowledge and receptive to coaching and moulding these first moments are critical to take advantage of an eager employee looking to succeed and also give a great first impression. So let me give you my five basic steps to successful onboarding: Begin communication from point of offer not point of engagement. As well as the usual communications about start date and bank details engage with the new hire about the differences this job may have for them. For me taking a new job four hundred miles from my previous one I was thrilled to receive quickly in the post both a book and a periodical from the new county explaining its geography, history and local customs. Even before I joined I felt I knew a little about the place. And then I received further information in the post about accommodation, travel routes and local amenities. I arrived into my temporary accommodation a few days early and discovered a welcome pack from my employer of grocery and hygiene essentials and a three month subscription to the weekly local newspaper.

Prepare everything on the day the employee accepts the contract. Don’t wait for the notice period to be almost up to remember to get things ready. There is nothing more disheartening for a new employee than showing up for their first day of work and feeling like their arrival was an afterthought. Having experienced the worst onboarding of my life when I was taking up a very senior position I strongly recommend the following: Make sure the new hire’s office or desk is set up, clean, and in good working order. Check the chair they will use is working and free from unexplainable stains. Don’t let IT brush you off with excuses as to why they can’t set up the new email until the “bum is on the seat”. Demand user id’s for login and email and notify the new start so that they can send in electronically any details they will need for day one. Ensure their computer is working and more importantly wiped clear of the previous owner’s materials. Check the phone has a dialling tone and the number on it is actually the number of the phone line. Label office keys and give them to the new hire on a corporate key ring (don’t just hand them random keys). In simple terms spend a few minutes helping the individual; feel that you cared about them and your preparation shows that. On two separate occasions I recall the impact of having welcome cards sitting on my desk from my HR Teams. However, I also took over an office once that had a half full coffee mug on my desk growing what looked like brown moss?

As I walked to my office I looked down the corridor and saw the CEO walking towards me. They had been on the interview panel and seemed quite a genuine individual. As they reached me they stuck out their hand and said; without any real eye contact, “welcome”. Nothing more was shared with me while we were standing together, but as they walked away they cried at the top of their voice, “don’t know why we hired you, we should just have bought an answering machine that said “Hello HR here, the answer is NO… ha ha”! Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I tried to convince myself this was their attempt at humour. The old adage that “it’s not what you say it’s how you say it”, doesn’t work in this situation. During these initial hours the new hire is like a sponge supping up every word spoken to them. Every comment is analysed and cross referenced and stored and so caution must apply in every situation. Along with verbal communication take care to consider and prioritise what the new hire will be asked to read first. If your organisation has a good and well constructed Employee Handbook which includes information about the organisation including the organisational story, vision, values, and practices as well as Human Resource information on behaviour and work expectations this says to a new hire that their employer cares enough about them to communicate what they can expect from the employer and what the employer will expect from them.

Plan in detail for day one. Nothing signals positivity to a new employee more than order. Look again at the scenes I set at the beginning of this article. Both of those events are real and happened exactly as described, I know because they happened to me. By giving structure to their first few days, you allow new hires to establish themselves in the organisation, to begin to put faces to names and understand the linkages and workflows that they will become part of. Sadly all too often in this apparent honeymoon period others in the organisation will try to use informal engagement to trade wisdom for information. I once heard the amount of information new hires are expected to learn being described as “trying to drink out of a fire hose.” Everything is new and it is imperative that what is heard and retained reflects accurately the culture and ethos of the organisation. We cannot assume the new hire can differentiate myth from fact.

Allocate a mentor. Coming into a new job with an open mind can make all the difference. First impressions are critical and so every effort needs to be made to ensure whoever makes those first impressions accurately reflects what the organisation is actually all about. One of the most important things to do early in a new job is set your boundaries and this is where a mentor can guide and advise you without feeling that you have received a management directive. Sitting in the canteen on my own, feeling a little lonely I was accosted by a worker who informed me that they “didn’t know me” and as they “Know everyone”, I must be one of the new starts. Before I could nod in agreement I was inducted into the reality of working here. “Don’t listen to HR, – it’s just management propaganda” and “don’t volunteer for anything, you will be taken advantage of”. There was more “And whatever you do, don’t do any training, they will only expect you to be better at your job”. I didn’t think it was the appropriate time to introduce myself as the new HR Director.

www.linkedin.com/pub/graham-white/a/230/508


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